Basketball Game Preview: Raymond Central Mustangs vs. Arlington Eagles

Raymond Central hasn't had much luck against Arlington recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Raymond Central Mustangs will square off against the Arlington Eagles at 7:30 p.m.

Raymond Central is headed into Friday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Tuesday. They were four points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 57-53 heartbreaker at the hands of North Bend Central. While losing is never fun, the Mustangs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 229th, while the Tigers are ranked 107th).

Meanwhile, Arlington earned a 61-54 win over Gross Catholic on Tuesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Eagles.

Arlington's win came from a few key players Raymond Central will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Trent Koger, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 16 boards. That's the most boards he has posted since back in January of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Oliver Ladehoff, who went 5 of 10 on his way to 19 points and five assists.

Arlington's victory bumped their record up to 4-5. As for Raymond Central, their loss dropped their record down to 1-9.

Raymond Central ended up a good deal behind Arlington in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, losing 47-33. Can Raymond Central avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.